A Twisted Tale
by Dalek Prime
Summary: Fairy Tale AU. Star Butterfly, the princess of Mewni has been taken hostage by the evil forces that lurk in a place called the Wild Wood. Now, the kingdom's finest warriors, the Huntsmen, must rescue her. Meanwhile, Star begins to learn the lost history of her kingdom, as well as bound with one of her captors, Marco Diaz, or as he's better known and feared as, Captain Hook. Starco.
1. The Huntsmen

A/N: I don't own Star vs The Forces of Evil or anything else mentioned

* * *

Chapter One: The Huntsmen

There were a lot of thoughts going Penn's mind at the moment. Did he remember to lock the door before he left the house today? Did he leave enough hay for his cows to eat while he was gone? Those thoughts and more were swirling around in his head, but the biggest thought on the boy's mind was this insane plan of his going to work. Sure, being leader of the Huntsmen meant that the others would have to follow his orders, but someone could have at least of had some extra input on how insane this how insane this plan of his actually was and try to rework it in some way. Then again, he did have far radical ideas that bordered on absolute insanity and they went off without a hitch—give or take a few broken ribs on his part.

The plan in question revolved around the slaying of a cyclops who had wandered from the Wild Woods into the kingdoms borders in search of food. Now normally that wouldn't be a problem if the cyclops's diet didn't consist of human flesh, but the monster had already killed and devoured five people in the past three days and the by the king and queen's orders, the monster must die. The plan was simple: tie some bait to a post and lure the beast into a trap, but the problem was that the cyclops didn't care much for dead meat, nor did it go for livestock as prey either. So, the only option was a simple one: Penn would be the bait.

Now here he was, out in the middle of a forest, tied to a post and waiting for some giant one-eyed behemoth to come and eat him alive. However, while normal people would be frightened out of their wits about this type of situation, Penn was unlike most other people, for he had faced his share of monsters in the past and he conquered them as he would conquer this one. Years ago, Penn Zero was no slayer of monsters, but a simple son of a farmer and nothing more. Despite being poor, the boy was content with what he had, as where his parents. But one winter when their crops were killed by a deep freeze, they were forced to sell one their horses in order to get enough money for food to survive the harsh winter. At first light, Penn went into town with the intent of selling the livestock for a good profit.

It was in town that he met a man who offered him good money for the horse. But after making the transaction, the young farmer discovered that the man had deceived him, for when he opened the bag of money, he discovered not a bag full of coins, but full of seeds. His parents weren't upset with him, but he knew that they were disappointed that their son had been swindled so easily. Angered that he had been played for a fool, Penn threw the beans out of his bedroom window and let then spill all over the ground outside his home. He thought that would be the end of this whole ordeal. But as he would soon come to understand, it was only the beginning.

The next day, Penn and his parents awoke to find a massive beanstalk towering over their home. The gigantic plant attracted the attention of not only the farmers friends and neighbors, but also the kingdom's mightiest defenders, the Huntsmen, as well. For generations, the Huntsmen were a select group of warriors that had safeguarded the realm of Mewni from any and all threats to the kingdom, and it was easy to say that a giant beanstalk that magical grew up to the heavens above over night was fit in that category. However, no one, not even the Huntsmen themselves knew what to do in this situation. Some wished to cut the giant plant down, while others, such as the Huntsmen's leader, Stanford Pines, wished to study the beanstalk and learn if the plant could help the people of Mewni in any way. it would prove to a fatal error on the Huntsmen behalf.

Not long after the beanstalk had grown, something came down from the sky upon the giant stalk. It was a giant, and a hungry one at that. The monster from the sky called itself Rippin and proclaimed that it no intention of befriending the small folk, only seeing them as food. The gargantuan beast killed and devoured several now panicked bystanders. The Huntsmen attempted to fell the giant, but many of them also met a grisly fate like those they were trying to protect. Tragically, Rippin killed and consumed Penn's parents while they were trying to hide their son from the giant's hunger. After slaughtering his way through those who had gathered around the beanstalk, Rippin continued his rampage throughout the countryside.

After surviving the initial attack and pulling Ford out of the rubble of his now destroyed home, the now orphan farm boy had only one thought on his mind: revenge. for two days, Penn stalked the giant from the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Then one night his chance for vengeance came when the monster wandered into a dense forest. Penn climbed atop a tall tree and waited for Rippin to pass by it as he trudged through the forest. The moment he saw an opening for an attack, Penn leapt down from the tree and slash open the back of the giant's neck with his father's sword, killing his foe instantly. With his vengeance stated, the young boy considered a new line of work: monster hunting.

And so, the farmer's son had become a slayer of monsters that threated the kingdom of Mewni—for the right price of course. From ogres to trolls, Penn made quite the name for himself in Mewni, so much so that he caught the attention of the man he had saved: Ford Pines. The old Huntsman offered the young hunter a place among his elite force. At first, Penn had no desire of joining the group who could've prevented his parent's deaths, but realizing that the common people of Mewni needed strong protects he accepted a place among their ranks. Now here he was, waiting to either slay or be eaten by a one-eyed behemoth—which he preferred the former over the latter.

Just then, he heard the sound of twigs and branches breaking in the distance which were followed by loud footsteps that frightened the birds out of their nests and made them take off into the sky. Penn took a calming breath as the footsteps drew closer and breaking branches grew louder. With each heavy thud of the of the earth, the young huntsman readied himself for what was to come. Soon enough, a massive figure lumbered out of the cover of the trees and into the clearing where the post was. The creature was a massive thirty-feet tall and covered in dark green scales. It may have walked like a man, but it was most assuredly not one. Its claws and fangs were bloodstained from the monster's latest kill and its breath reeked of blood and death. But the creature's major feature was of course its single giant yellow eye that was currently looking down upon the young huntsman with hunger in its gaze.

"Come and get me, you one-eyed bastard" Penn taunted

With a guttural roar, the cyclops charged toward the monster slayer, shaking the earth with each thunderous step it took as it did. However, when it was halfway toward him, massive tree roots suddenly erupted in a circle around the cyclops and began to entangle it like tentacles. The one-eyed behemoth bellowed in anger as it tried to rip away the roots as they began to constrict around him like massive serpents. Penn then felt something jump onto the top of the post, making him look up to see not another enemy but a friend.

It was a young oriental girl, no older than Penn, but had the resolve of a warrior none the less. She was dressed in black leather tunic with chainmail under it and pair of heavy black boots. However, the armored tunic wasn't the main draw for the girl, but a long crimson hooded cloak that she wore more as a badge of honor rather than as a form of fashion. The girl drew a pair of swords from her belt before leaping at the trapped cyclops. This was Sashi, or as she was called in some circles: the red hood. Penn quickly undid the ropes that were holding him up against the post and drew his own sword before joining his teammate in battle.

"What are you doing, Sashi?" he demanded "stick to the plan!"

"Zach can't hold him for long, we needed to improvise!" the fellow huntsman replied "besides, don't you always say that you have a plan B?"

"Just because I say that a lot doesn't mean I have one!" Penn shot back

With an enraged roar, the cyclops managed to break on of his arms free and attempted to bring it down on the two warriors like a hammer. They both jumped in opposite directions just before the monster's fist managed to strike them. Seeing a chance for and attack, Sashi slashed across the top of the cyclops's fist with both her blades, making it yowl in a mix of pain as she did. Sashi then quickly ducked as the monster swung it fist toward her. Penn leapt back to his feet and lunged at the monster's arm with his sword, cutting deep into the beast's flesh with strike of his blade. Now blinded by rage and agony, the cyclops used all of its fury to break free from the roots that had ensnared it. With a snarl, it brought its foot down on Sashi, which Penn quickly dove in and pulled her out of arms way just before the creature could crush her under his foot.

The two huntsmen quickly recovered and prepared to leap back into the fray when a ball of fire flew over their heads and slammed into the one-eyed behemoth's chest, making it stumble backward from the impact. Penn and Sashi turned around to see another pair of their teammates standing before them. It was two young siblings, twins in fact, who had made the last minute save. The first was a boy who was dressed in light blue robes and blue shoes. His eyes flared gold with energy, a symbol of his magic as his hands ignited with the same colored energy within them. The girl next him was his sister, and while she was no user of magic like her brother was, she made up for being an amazing fighter. She was clothed in a white tunic that was adorned with a vast array of weapons and heavy brown boots and gloves.

"Mason. Mabel" Penn regarded with a small grin "glad you could join us"

"We would've been here sooner if hadn't been for a little pest control with some goblins" Mabel replied as she drew her crossbow "here, let me make it up to you"

With that, she took aim and fire an iron bolt arrow that pierced the cheek of the cyclops, forcing a cry of pain to escape its lips in the process. the cyclops charged once more at the group of warriors, but Mason stepped forward and with a war cry, unleashed a flurry of golden lightning from his fingertips, striking the monsters dead on. The cyclops shrieked in agony as the magical lightning began to burn his flesh. In an act of panic, the cyclops reached out for a large stone and hurled it at the protectors of the kingdom, forcing Mason to break off his assault as he and the others evaded the bolder that had been thrown at them. Mabel was the first to recover as she reloaded her crossbow, but as she did, the cyclops had since recovered from Mason's attack and was charging toward the heroes once more, and his first target was the girl who had struck with the arrow.

Just before it could reach out and grab Mabel, a blur of a young woman appeared just as quickly as she had vanished with the girl he had tried to grab in quick flash of light. The vanishing girl then suddenly reappeared on the monster's shoulder. She wore a white coat with a lightly armored chest plate under it with blue trousers, but what was most surprising about her attire was her pair of ruby red slippers that sparkled like stars. This was Melissa Chase, A Huntsman with a very special gift. Despite being perplex as to how the girl had gotten on his shoulder in the first place, the cyclops let out a roar as he tried to swat the human off his person. But instead of crushing her, the redhead clicked her heels together and was gone once again in a flash of light. while he was still looking at his right shoulder, the Huntsman had teleported over to his left shoulder before drawing a pair of hunting knives.

With a whistle to get his attention, Melissa jab her blades into the beast's eye before teleporting back down to the ground with the rest of her team with another click of her heels. As the now blinded cyclops flailed about helplessly, a pair of giants of roots shot up from both sides of the creature as the each took hold of its wrists, holding it in place. Was the man-eater struggled to break free from his binds, the one who had done this to him stepped out from his hiding spot among the underbrush. It was dark-skinned boy, but he was not human, for he could channel the all the powers of the woods and unleash their fury upon those who had meant to cause them harm. He was dressed in a dark brown tunic that was laced over chainmail and pair of brown pants, boots and gloves. His eyes shine bright green as he continued to hold the wounded monster in place. This was Zach, and he was no ordinary boy thanks to his father.

"You've got your shot now take it!" he called out to the others

Wasting no time, the other Huntsmen went into action. With blades at the ready, Sashi charged forward and ran under the cyclops, with slash of each of her swords, she cut deep into both of the monster's heels, making him collapse onto his knees in the process. Mason unleashed another volley of magical lightning to keep the blinded beast down while his sister fired another iron bolt to act as a sort of lightning rod for her brothers magic to focus on. Melissa then took hold of Penn and teleported them both high into the air over the cyclops before letting him fall toward the monster and teleporting herself back the ground. With his sword drawn, he let out a battle cry to get the blinded beasts attention. With everything he had, Penn rammed this way through the cyclops blade first before erupting out of the back of the creature's skull, killing it instantly.

Penn fell to the ground, covered in the gore of the now slain cyclops while Zach let the body fall to the ground in lifeless heap. The other Huntsmen rushed over to where their leader and fell to see if he was still breathing and fond him staggering to his feet while covered in the blood and brain matter of the dead monster.

"So…whose up for a pint?" he asked the others with a smile "first rounds on me"

* * *

Rather than celebrate their victory over the forces of evil at the pub, the Huntsmen instead opted to return to the barracks where they could clean both their weapons and themselves. The six Huntsmen were latest incarnation of the long-standing line of warriors. They were also the youngest in the history of the elite corps, which at first made many skeptic that they were not up to the task, two of those skeptic many including the king and queen themselves. The one who had brought them together, Ford Pines, insisted that these six could be a mighty force to battle the creatures that haunted the Wild Wood. But soon enough, they proved themselves to the people of Mewni that they could protect from the monsters that lurked in the darkness.

As the six heroes entered the barracks, they were instantly met by an elderly man with a long white beard and dressed in a red shirt, brown trousers and light brown apron that was covered in shoot, dirt and oil. This man was the Huntsmen's blacksmith, and despite his old age, he had the energy of a young man when he crafted weapons. However, he wasn't here to greet the returning heroes with a warm welcome, but his usual complaints.

"I hope the cyclops ate and you had to cut open its stomach to get out, because that should be the only reason your tracking blood all over the barracks!" the old man scolded "how many times have I told you that one of these days you're going to break something with your theatrics, Zero!"

"Aw Fiddleford, I didn't know you cared" Penn replied with mock gratitude

"It's not you I'm worried about you damn fool—it's my sword I'm concerned with!" the blacksmith continued "my weapons are the finest in all of Mewni, but the way you all fight I'm going to have to start making them idiot proof!"

Fiddleford Mcguket was once a Huntsmen and forger of the weapons that they carried. when he grew too old to out in the field, he semi-retired and focused on building and inventing new weapons for next generation of Huntsmen. However, the way this new line of warriors fought, he had to be creative with how to keep them from breaking every time Penn and the others went out on a mission. As the old man continued to rant and rave, he suddenly noticed Zach was without a weapon.

"And you!" he snapped as he pointed a finger accusingly at the boy "you left without your sword again, didn't you?"

"I don't need it" Zach defended "why use a sword when I can control plants?"

"And what's going to happened on the day when you can't summon your precious plants to defend you?" Mcguket questioned sharply "What do I keep telling you: you need to fight smarter, son"

"Yes, father" Zach blew, not looking to get into another argument about this subject again

Fiddleford was not only a great blacksmith, but also had a hobby in making toys. But while he made the children of Mewni happy with his dolls and puppets, he had no child of his own to give them to. His life as a Huntsman kept him from finding time to settle down, even though he wished to have a son of his own to carry on his legacy. One night, Queen Moon came to his home and offered to grant him any wish he desired as a reward for his past service to the realm. Fiddleford asked the queen to give him the son he never had, and his wish was granted when Moon breathed life into one of the blacksmith's puppets, making Zach into a real boy. Fiddleford trained his new son to be a warrior, but soon discovered that his child had been gifted with the ability to speak and control the plant life around him. It wasn't before the new father's old friend Ford came to recruit the boy into the ranks of the Huntsmen. While Fiddleford was proud his son was sharing in his profession, he was still concerned for his child's safety as any father would be and tried to encourage him to learn to fight without relying solely on his powers.

"If you'll excuse us Fiddleford, I'd like to wash the smell of dead cyclops out of my cloths" Penn mentioned

As Penn went to the showers to clean himself of the gore he was soaked in, the other Huntsmen when into the barracks' meeting room to rest—with the exception of Sashi, who instead went into the armory to be left alone as always. The room was well-lit and filled with shelves upon shelves and books that the Huntsmen used to gather information about those they did battle with. At the center of the room was a round table where for centuries the Huntsmen gathered to defend Mewni from those who would do it harm. Sitting at the table was young girl reading on of the many tomes that were housed in the room. This was Janna, and while she was no Huntsmen, she was still an important assets to the team's war against the forces of darkness.

"So, I take that you guys killed the cyclops?" she asked, not breaking her line of slight from the page she was reading "you should've just gone for the eye to begin instead of following through with that dumb plan Penn had"

"It certainly got the cyclops's attention though" Melissa commented "thanks for looking up the monster's weakness Janna, this was our first time fighting one of those things"

While not a Huntsmen, Janna served as the team's librarian and researcher into the creatures and villains that they did battle with. The girl was orphaned after her father, who was once a professor, was placed into an asylum after going mad after venturing into the Wild Wood with a research team and being the only one to return alive six days later. The girl's father then committed suicide several weeks later during his stay with the asylum, leaving the poor girl alone. Being an old friend of her father, Ford took her in and let her live in the barracks. Janna was always a bright girl, and when she saw the walls that were filled with books, she felt as though she was finally home. Since then, Janna had become the team's assistant and gave them the knowledge to battle everything from trolls to dragons. While the Huntsmen cared for Janna like a friend and an unofficial member of the team, they all had to agree that the girl's love of the occult was rather peculiar.

"What'cha reading there, Jan?" Mabel asked

"The chronicles of Ozymandias" Jana replied she flipped another page before glancing over to the twins "your great uncle's certainly the one for the theatrical"

Not only where the Pines twins the grand niece and nephew to Ford, but they there were also related to another great hero as well. Stanly's Pines or as he went by in his magical name, Ozymandias, was the supreme wizard of Mewni and the kingdom's most powerful protector. It was Stanly's job to defend the people of Mewni from the most powerful beings that lurked in the Wild Wood. one day where that came the most was when an ancient demon known only as the Jabberwock laid siege to the kingdom. Ozymandias and the demon waged a battle so great that all of Mewni was nearly torn asunder by their dual. Finally, Stanly managed to defeat the Jabberwock by cutting off a piece of the monster's body and rendering its power useless. These days, Stanly stayed up alone in his tower within the castle, staying ever vigilant in case of another disaster.

"Oh, he's certainly…something" Mason forced himself to say

"Maybe someday you'll be as powerful as your great-uncle, Mason" Zach said

The young wizard scoffed at that remark before leaving the room in a huff. The puppet turned human instantly regretted speaking. Even though Mason and his sister had an excellent relationship with Ford, Stan was a different story. While the twins came from a middle-class upbringing since their father was a merchant, they still were held in high regard by their fellow Mewmans due to whom their bloodlines connected to. But their connections failed to help them when a fire took their parents away from them and they were kidnapped amidst the chaos of the raging fire. The twins had been stolen by a witch who had whisked away to her cottage made of candy deep within the Wild Wood. For nearly a week, Mason and Mabel were forced to eat the candy from the house so they could be fattened up to be eaten by their captor.

The siblings hoped and prayed that at least one of their great-uncles would come and rescue them from the witch's hold on them, but sadly, no help came to them. On the day that the witch was ready to consume them, the twins decided that the only way they were going to be saved was if they did themselves. So, while their captor was heating up her oven, the twins silently took a pair of knives from the kitchen drawers and ambushed the witch with a flurry of slashes and stabs. As their captor laid bleeding on the floor, Mason and Mabel lit a match and set the dying woman on fire, sending the whole house ablaze in the process. as the flames consumed the candy house, Mason noticed the witch's spell book sitting on a desk. He took it before he and his sister escaped the burning house and into the Wild Wood.

During this time, Ford had been searching for his lost grand-niece and nephew, braving the creatures that roamed the accursed forest to do so. He had enlisted his bother to find them with his magic, but Stanly refused, saying that it would be a waste to try and find someone who was more than likely dead by now. it wasn't until the start of the second week that Ford came upon his missing family members by dumb luck alone, but it was clear that their ordeal had greatly changed them. on that day, the twins vowed to not only hunt down and destroy witches, but any other manner of evil that dared to threaten their homeland. In time, Mason learned how to harness the power from the spell book while Mabel trained in the art of combat. Soon enough, they too joined the ranks of the Huntsmen once they were old enough. But neither had no love for Stanly, whom they hated for his apparent lack of care for them.

"He'll be fine" Mabel told the others in a gentle tone

Just then, Penn entered the room in his casual attire and he was not alone. The newcomer was young blonde-haired girl wearing a blue dress and slippers. This was Mewni's princess, Star Butterfly, who was not only a close friend to the Huntsmen, but also their biggest fan as well. She ran up to the other teens and gave them a collective group hug to which they all returned.

"Did you guys kill the cyclops?" she inquired

"Dead as a doornail" Zach answered

"I wish I would've been there with you guys" she said, "I would've loved to disembowel that one-eyed freak!"

Star may have been a princess by birth, but she longed dreamed to be a Huntsmen like her friends. But as one would expect, her parents forbid their only child to fight against the monsters that would love then to see her die a very slow and agonizing death. However, her parents did allow her to be trained by the Huntsmen in the art of self-defense, should the event ever arise were she would have to protect herself from those would try to either kidnap or kill her.

"I know you would've, but your mother would all have our heads if she knew that he had brought you with us" Penn pointed out "and I very much like my head where it is thank you very much"

"I wouldn't mind a headless Penn" Melissa joked "It be a lot quieter around here"

Penn grimaced at that remark while the others laughed at his expense. Once the laughter had died down, Star brought up another matter that she had been meaning to ask them.

"So, are you guys going to the Royal Gala tomorrow night?" she asked

"We kinda half to be there. Your mother put us on guard duty" Melissa answered, "not like they'll be much action though"

"Tell me about it" Star sighed dejectedly "every year it's an excuse for bunch of uptight assholes to get together and brag about how rich they are while eating fancy food! I don't know why my mom drags me to these stupid things!"

"True, but on the other hand, it does give us the chance to dance with some attractive ladies" Zach said in a confidant voice "in fact, yours truly have even got a hot date with a very beautiful woman"

The moment the words left his mouth, Zach's nose suddenly stretched out by at least three inches. Aside from being able to control plants, the other side-effect of being made into a flesh and blood being was that whenever Zach told a lie, his nose would grow until he would tell the truth. This was a method that the queen said would help Zach better understand the meaning between right and wrong, however, the boy still had a tendency to tell fibs every now and again. Upon seeing their friend's extended nose, the princess and other Huntsmen burst out laughing

"Ok, so I don't have a date" Zach admitted "But I'm sure I can find one—the ladies love me!"

His nose grew another three inches, making his friends laugh even harder.

"Alright I get it I suck! You happy?!" he yelled at his now stretched out appendage

The nose reverted back to its original length upon hearing the truth. While Zach's story was a lie, it did remind Star of the other reason as to why she had brought up the Royal Gala in the first place.

"Zach does have a point, you know" she agreed "the Gala is a place where a person can dance with a very special someone"

The princess's gaze turned to lock onto Penn.

"Isn't that right, Penn?" she slyly inquired

Penn instantly blushed bright red with embarrassment. He knew what the princess had meant by that, but refuse to say it out loud.

"I-I have no idea what you mean, Star" he stammered out

"She means asking Sashi to the Gala" Janna said bluntly

"Well she'll be there on guard duty like the rest of us" the giant-slayer answered sheepishly "so I won't ask her to go at all"

"Oh, for god's sake Penn, you know what we meant!" Melissa nearly exclaimed in annoyance "we all know you have a crush on her!"

"Yeah, we can all see it, why can't you?" Mabel added on "I mean, I don't the attraction, since you know, she's cold, bloodthirsty and borderline homicidal, but if that's your type then who am I to judge?"

Penn let out a defeated breath. In knew he had been found out and could no longer deny it.

"Ok yes, I do like her, but it's hard you know" he began "I just can't find the words to tell her how I feel about her"

"Ok, so you can fight a giant no problem, but you can't talk to a girl" Zach gathered "that's the just sad"

"To be fair, giants don't know I live and make me eat my own entrails if I get them mad" the giant-killer reasoned "I mean we all know how temperamental Sashi can be"

This was true. Sashi was the most aggressive one out of the group, but she had a reason for her rage. When she was a little girl, Sashi's grandmother lived alone on the edge of the countryside and close to the Wild Wood. Every so often, Sashi's parents would send their daughter out to her grandmother's house to send her fresh food. But one day when Sashi arrived at her grandmother's house, she discovered that the front door had been broken down. Thinking that thieves had entered the house, she rushed inside to try and get her grandma out of harm's way. But to her horror, the young girl found not a burglar, but a wolf devouring her grandmother. Sashi, in a state of panic, ran back to her house to get her mother and father's help. Soon enough, they together a mob before they managed to track down and killed the wolf, who was revealed to be a woman who was the wife of a woodcutter.

Convinced that the woodcutter and the rest of his family where all secretly wolves, the mob proceed to corner the woodcutter and his children in their house before they set the house ablaze with their torches. With the woodcutter's family dead, the mob disbanded and the Kobayashi's returned to their home thinking that their family had been avenged. Sadly, that was not the case, for later that night, the last surviving member of the woodcutter's family, blew down the family's door before attacking the family. Sashi watched in horror as the wolf tore apart her mother, father and brother, all the while sure she watched. When the massacre was over, the wolf vanished into the night before the other people in the village could arrive to help. They only found little Sashi covered in the blood and entrails of her slaughtered family.

While her teammates had moved on past their tragedies, Sashi however, did not escape her own. That night forever changed the girl, for now only hate and vengeance resided in her soul. She trained relentlessly on the streets that she now lived on now that she orphaned until she was old enough to join the Huntsmen. She never forgave, nor did she never forget the wolf who destroyed her life. She vowed on her family's graves that she would find the wolf who took them away from her and kill it in their names.

"So, if she's so scary to you, why do you even like her then?" Zach pondered

"I like dangerous women I guess" Penn shrugged

There was more to it than that of course. Penn was attracted to Sashi because she was driven, intelligent and a skilled warrior. She was as beautiful as she was deadly. Maybe that's what made her so alluring to the giant-killer to begin with, she was like a sharpened blade, ready to cut those who didn't know how to properly handle her.

"You should go for it" Janna said, "and hey, if she cuts your belly open, we'll be there to patch you up"

"Forget it guys, Sashi's not go along with this" the redhead denied "besides, we have a job to do. We can't afford to lose focus for a second at the Gala. Remember: The Gala may be a pain in the ass, but it's the perfect target for the Wicked Ones"

The Wicked Ones. That's what the people of Mewni called the only most evil beings that lurked in the Wild Wood. The most dangerous of the Wicked Ones was Eclipsa, a wicked witch who had total dominion over the Wild Wood and all who resided within it. ages ago, Eclipsa ruled over all of Mewni with an iron fist until Queen Moon and Ozymandias rose up and defeated her in battle. They then banished the sorceress into the Wild Wood, where she quickly took control of the inhabitants there. Eclipsa swore she would one day have her revenge upon all of Mewni. It was the Huntsmen top priority above all else to ensure that the witch's vengeance would come to pass.

"Yeah, your right" Melissa agreed "It's still gonna be a pain in the ass though"

"Look at this way: at least they'll be free ale" Penn added on

"What about you, Star?" Mabel mused "are you taking someone to the Gala?"

"Pfft, hell no" the princess scoffed "though no my mom she'll try to hook me up with some boring prince while we're there"

"There you are!" a voice said in frustration from behind them

Star groaned, she knew who that voice belonged to and wasn't happy in the slightest that he had found her. the princess and the others slowly turned around to see a young man with black hair and glasses and dressed in all white suit with a red tie standing in the doorway of the meeting room. His two front teeth were longer and stuck out of his mouth. The young man had an impatience expression on his face as he held a silver pocket watch in his hand. This was Bradly, royal messenger for the king and queen, but mostly he was Star's caretaker. Bradly was not well liked by his charge, and even less by the Huntsmen, who considered to be a brownnosing little coward who only looked down on them as grunts. The Huntsmen sometimes called him Mr. Rabbit behind his back because of his overbite.

"I should've guessed you'd be in this filthy den" Bradly continued as he marched up to the princess "this is no place for a princess, young lady!"

"Hey, it's not that filthy" Zach defended "it's the right amount of gross and clean"

"We're already six minutes late to your dress fitting" Bradly further to scold Star "and yet here you are, fooling around with these brutes!"

Bradly was also a stickler for time. If Star was even late for one of her appointments by one minute he would throw a fit.

"In case you've forgot Bradley, where the reason you and everyone else in Mewni isn't under the rule of Eclipsa" Penn reminded "So how about you show us a little respect?

"And I don't want to do this stupid dress fitting, Bradly" Star protested "I can hardly breathe in those corsets"

"No arguments young lady" Bradly said as he took Star roughly by the arm "your late for very important date"

With that, Bradly began to pull the princess of Mewni out of the room.

"I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow night then" she said to the others dejectedly

"See you then, Snow" Mabel replied

Snow. That was nickname that the Huntsmen had given to Star. The reason for this was because it had several different meanings behind it. For starters, the princess had been born in the midst a snowstorm, but while the castle was freezing cold, the newborn seemed to be unaffected by the cold around her. Her skin was also as pale as the freshly fallen snow. Star didn't care much for the nickname at first, considering it to cute for her wild personality, but in time she came to adore it, seeing it as the Huntsmen's way of friendship. As Bradly pulled out of the barracks and back toward the castle, Star could only think about her next visit with her friends. She longed to be among them, fighting to defend Mewni from the forces of evil. But sadly, she was born a princess, and princesses didn't do the fighting—no matter they wanted to.

She longed for something new and exciting to come into her live that prove to her mother that she was capable of being a great warrior. A chance to show that she too could be a Huntsmen like Penn and the others. Her mother was once a fighter, why couldn't she be one like she was? It made no sense to her! But so long as she was stuck in the castle, she would forever be seen as merely damsel in distress to her mother and father. However, unknown to the princess and to the rest of the people of the Mewni, events were being set in motion that would shake the very foundations of the kingdom itself. For while Star was dragged back into the castle to be fitted for her new dress, a black and yellow one-eyed cat sat perched atop on the castles stone sculptures, watching her intently.

"Well…look what we have here" the cat said to itself

The cat smiled darkly as it's body began to fade away, leaving only it's one eye and grin floating in mid-air until they to slowly vanished into nothingness.


	2. Wicked Ones

Chapter Two: Wicked Ones

The Wild Wood lived on the very borders of the kingdom of Mewni. No one knew how far the massive forest stretched, for most who did try to venture into these woods never returned. Most of the trees were all dead and rotting, but they continued to grow, as if some force was keeping them alive. The sun never shined over the Wild Wood, even on the brightest of days the clouds that hung over the woods like a noose at the gallows prevented much light to touch the ground below, leaving the skies over the land to appear grey and muggy. The only time it ever was clear was when the sun faded away over the horizon and the moon sat in its place in the sky, casting its pale light down upon the inhabitants of the forbidden woods. It was at night when most the creatures that lived in the Wild Wood were the most active.

Goblins, Dark Elves, Pixies and other manner of beings called these woods home. They prowled the shadows of the Wild Wood looking for the fresh meat of some hapless human who dared to wander into their domain. However, while any sane person would steer clear from such a place, there were those who lived among the monsters, not because they wanted to, but because they had to. Bandits and escaped convicts were forced to hide in the Wild Wood due in order to avoid capture from the authorities, however, they had to fight on a daily basis just survive in the monster ruled forest. But weather one was human or otherwise, all who dwelled in the Wild Wood served its queen one way or another.

Ever since her banishment, Eclipsa had taken control of the dark forest and ruled it with stern hand. In her time as the Wild Woods self-proclaimed ruler, she had turned both the hordes of monsters and bands of cut-throats into fiercely organized forces that she used every so often to launch attacks against the kingdom that she once lorded over, but time and again, the Huntsmen and Ozymandias were always there to thwart her every move against Queen Moon and King River. But this time would be different, for instead of using her subjects to fight the forces of Mewni, she instead would have others who shared her hatred of the royal family at her side.

Eclipsa was not the only one who plagued the people of Mewni with their fury. There were others who had their own intentions for attacking the realm. Some fought out of vengeance while others fought for coin, but they all shared a common aspect: they were all deemed Wicked in the eyes of Mewni. These other likeminded warriors had also been dealt their own share of failures by Mewni's protectors like she did, but the exiled queen had theory: alone they could be defeated, but maybe together they could have a chance against those who stood against them. however, Eclipsa knew that many of these other 'Wicked Ones' did not like the company of others, so it would take quite some convincing to get them all to unite. Hopefully their common hatred of the royal family and those who guarded them would be enough to get them to join forces.

With that in mind, the banished queen sent out messenger ravens all across the Wild Wood and beyond to find the ones she needed to crush Moon and the Huntsmen once and for all. She implored them to at least meet her at the ruins of the castle that was once the home of the mighty warlock known as Yen Sid, which she had since taken as her new home, and hear her proposal in person. She waited for them in the dead gardens in the front of the castle, wondering if any of them would even bother arriving. It was difficult to say if any of them would even bother with her request to meet with her, considering that many of them were only out for themselves.

"Me thinks they aren't coming, your highness" a mocking voice commented from above her

Eclipsa looked up to see a black and yellow cat looking back down at her with its one eye from the tree it was currently perched on. The cat gave the banished queen a teasing grin to which Eclipsa smiled back at him. The feline then slowly vanished into nothingness before reappearing on a nearby stone gargoyle that sat in the garden.

"They'll be here, Bill" Eclipsa replied "they can't say no to me"

Despite the conversation the two were having, the sorceress and the cat known as Bill were not friends. Long before Eclipsa had been exiled to the Wild Wood, Bill had wandered the dark forest for as long as it had been around. The cat was trickster—and an annoying one at that. Ever since Eclipsa had been forced to stay in the Wild Wood, the one-eyed feline had a tendency to occasionally give her grief from time to time. From stealing her spell books and putting them in different places, to mocking her while she tried to mediate, the cat would torment the sorceress for just sheer joy it gave him to do. The exiled queen had tried to vaporize the cat, but he would always teleport out of the way and would mock her. Rather than keep trying to kill the trickster, Eclipsa merely tolerated his presence in her castle.

"And what if they do?" Bill posed, fringing curiosity as he did "I mean let's face it, these guys aren't exactly team players"

"I excel at getting people to do what I want" Eclipsa defended casually "I mean, I was a queen after all"

"Keyword in that sentence being 'was'" Bill highlighted "you're talking about bringing together some very anti-social people together, and most of them don't like to take orders, especially from someone who ruled over the kingdom they all collectively hate and then just became ruler of the place their now being forced to hide out in"

"If you think that's how it's going to go then why are you here in the first place?" the witch tensely inquired "don't you have some mice to chase?"

"I came to see if these freaks would turn on you" Bill replied "I wanna have front row seats for when they rip your heart out!"

"Charming as ever" Eclipsa sarcastically said with a roll of her eyes

Just then, Eclipsa and Bill heard the sounds of the brushes being disturbed. They both turned to see a young woman with long red hair step out of them. The girl was tall and was dressed in a long heavy brown coat with a green shirt under it with a pair brown trousers and heavy brown boots as well. Her fingernails were sharp and claw-like and her ears were pointed. Eclipsa smiled to herself, clearly happy that someone did respond to summons. Bill made himself scarce, wanting to watch the possibly massacre from a safe distance.

"Wendy Corduroy" the former queen acknowledged "I'm glad that you accepted my invitation"

"Well, call me curious" Wendy answered bluntly "if you've really got a plan to finally wipe out Moon and her Huntsmen, then I'd like to hear it"

"As would I" came another voice "So long as the pays good"

The next newcomer was another young woman with long blonde hair and smirk on her face as she approached the others. She had long blonde hair and was dressed in a red and black suit of light flexible body armor that had a pair of swords strapped to her back, as well several other different kinds of blades that were sheathed on it. She also had on a heart-shaped eyepatch to cover the hole where her right eye used to be. Once this girl was the daughter of a noble family, but that was taken away from her when her parents were executed for opposing the royal family and her family's wealth and title were taken from her—along with her eye. Rather than die a penniless orphan, the girl instead trained herself to become a fighter, and after several years of honing her skills on the streets, she became a mistress of death. She had gone from a girl that was robbed of her life to one of the most dangerous assassins in the realm. Dukes, noblemen, knights and even Huntsmen lost their heads to her blades.

Her name was Pacifica Northwest.

But she was better known and feared throughout the land as the Red Queen.

"Good to see you, Miss Northwest" Eclipsa greeted "How's business?"

"As long as someone wants someone else dead, business is good" the assassin good before looking over to Wendy coldly "Corduroy"

"Northwest" the ginger regarded just as icily

"So, is this it?" Pacifica questioned Eclipsa "I figured there would be more. Or did everyone else skip out on this little get together?"

Before Eclipsa could answer, the shrill neigh of a horse cut through the forest. The group villains looked to see a figure riding atop a large black horse with gleaming red eyes. The rider was dressed in a suit of black armor with the image of a dragon engraved into the chest plate with a pair of heavy black leather gloves and boots to add to it. the rider also wore a black cape with a blood red trim on the inside of it. He had a sword sheathed in his belt and a battleax clutched firmly in his hand. However, while the rider was well armed, he was missing an importance part to his person: his head.

"It can't be…" Wendy gasped in almost a frightful whisper "the Headless Horseman"

No one knew where the Horseman came from or how he came into being. What was known about him was that he was one of the most feared beings in the Wild Wood. When anyone heard the sound of his dark steed's hooves, it was the last sound they would hear before the Horseman would ride up beside them and remove their head from their person before keeping it as a trophy. The history between the undead warrior and the royal family was unknown, but it was clear from his multiple attacks on Mewni that he had it out for them. The Huntsmen had of course protected them from the Horseman's wrath, but every victory over him was a narrow one. The other residents within the Wild Wood, including Wendy, made sure to stay as far away from the Horseman as they could, least they to become a part of his collection of heads. Pacifica, however, was sort of an admirer of the undead warrior's grisly work, even making the decapitation of her victims as a sort homage to him.

The Horseman rode up to the trio of woman before dismounting his horse and walking up to them. He then took his axe and slammed it into the ground in front of the exiled queen. It was his way of telling her that he would listen to her proposition for destroying the Butterfly's and their protectors. While Wendy took a few minor steps away from the Headless killer, Pacifica only smiled upon seeing him.

"Nice to finally meet you in person, Horseman" she said "Gotta say, I'm a big fan of your work"

The Horseman's body shifted over to 'look' at the young assassin. He then nodded his torso slightly back and forth as a sort of nod to her compliment.

"Well, he's certainly the one for dramatic entrances, isn't he?" another voice jested mockingly

"Oh goddamit, please tell me that's not who I think it is" Wendy groaned

Unfortunately for Wendy, it was. Walking up to the ever-growing group of outcasts was a young man with black hair and dressed like a hunter. He was dressed in a red short-sleeved shirt and a pair of brown trousers with a hunting boots and large gloves with a brown cape for an extra dramatic effect. He had a bow in his hand with the sword strapped to his belt, along with a large dagger that was also sheathed in his pocket. This was Robbie Valentino: Mewni's self-proclaimed greatest hunter. While he was an excellent tracker and marksmen, he also had a reputation for being full of himself. While he was an excellent hunter, he had a knack for selling his services for hunting people for the right price. This of course put him at odds with the Huntsmen, who had chased him into the Wild Wood where he has hidden ever since.

"And I should know" he continued as he walked up to them "I'm sort of theatrical myself"

"Is that what he calls it" Wendy audibly grumbled

Robbie spun around to glare daggers at the woman, who smirked mockingly back him.

"Wendy..." he gritted "What are you doing here? Run out of pigs to eat?"

"I think I see a pig standing right in front me!" she snapped back with a deep growl as he eyes flashed yellow

"What you going to do, you mongrel?" the hunter chided "are you going to huff and puff?"

"That'll be the least of your worries after I split you open from your brain to you groin!" Wendy snarled, bearing her fangs as she did

Wendy wasn't just a girl. She was also a wolf, and a fearsome one at that. Her pack consisted of her mother, father and three brothers. Together, the family hunted fresh game in the forests of Mewni and lived in peace with nature, but that all changed when her mother had been slain by an angry mob for supposedly killing and eating an old woman. Their family never hunted human, knowing full well what the consequences would be if they did so. The only reason Wendy could think of if her mother had really killed that old woman was if she threatened her in some way. After her mother was hunted down was killed, the mob trapped the rest of her family in their house where they then set it ablaze. Wendy managed to escape the blaze, but her father and brothers were not as fortunate. The young girl could only watch as her family was burned to death in their own home.

Swearing vengeance, Wendy tracked down the ones who had organized the mob, the Kobayashi's, and in a fit of unbridled rage, slaughtered them all. She didn't care how much they begged and pleaded her to stop, all she could think about was how they did the same to her family when they were on the other end of this pain she now felt. After tearing them apart, the she-wolf departed the massacre and escaped into the Wild Wood, where she had lived ever since. For a time, the wolf always assumed that she had claimed her revenge, but it wasn't until later on her life that she discovered that one of the Kobayashi's had managed to escape her vengeance. Not only that, but the girl known as Sashi had become a Huntsman since that bloody night. Now knowing that her family was had not been fully avenged, Wendy swore that she would not rest until her fangs were around Sashi's throat, and if that meant working alongside Eclipsa, then so be it.

"Enough!" Eclipsa commanded "I brought you here to fight Mewni—not each other!"

"I'm not working with someone whose hunted my kin!" the she-wolf snapped back

"The feelings mutual, mutt" Robbie mentioned, earning him another growl from the girl

"If we want to rid ourselves of the Butterfly's and their lackeys, then we must put aside our differences" the sorceress told them

"And why should we fight them just to put another Butterfly in their place?" a gruff voice questioned sharply

The voice of the next arrival belonged to a young man dressed in a heavy grey cloak that concealed his entire body. He also wore a scarf around the lower part of his face, however, if one looked close enough, they could see the boy's light purple skin, the horns on both sides of his head and his three eyes. The claws on his fingers were long and as sharp as steel. The deformed boy stood away from the others, only glowering at them from under the hood of his cloak.

"Well look who decided to come out of his castle" Pacifica said teasingly "long time no see, Tom"

Like Pacifica, Tom was once a member of a family of noble blood, but in a cruel twist of fate that had been dealt to him, he was robbed of everything he held deal—including his humanity. Since the loss of everything he once had, Tom escaped deep into the Wild Wood, where he made his new residence within another broken down castle far from Eclipsa's home. Since his self-imposed exile, Tom had remained alone in the forsaken forest, living like the beast that he had become. While he had never set foot in Mewni since his tragic transformation, he had occasionally employed the services of the Red Queen to carry out his will within the realm he once called home.

"I'm surprised to see that you accepted my invitation in person" Eclipsa said "and to answer your question: Yes, I know it's difficult for you all to help overthrow one Butterfly and then put another one on the throne. But Moon and those who serve her have oppressed us for too long, and it's time we take the fight to them!"

"Spare me your false words, Eclipsa" Tom hissed "I'm only here because Moon has stolen something very important to me and I want it back. So, if whatever plan you have involves me getting back what is mine, then I'll entertain the idea of having you ruling over Mewni once again"

"Fair enough" the witch agreed plainly "but there are still two more members to this little gathering that we must wait for before we can begin"

It's was then that the fallen noticed another individual she had reached out to coming up to the group.

"Ah, here comes one now" she pointed out

The next member of the witch's cabal was a tall humanoid reptilian creature dressed in a long black coat with a red shirt under it that concealed a chainmail vest underneath the shirt. He also wore a pair of clean black pants and dress shoes, making him look quite distinguished despite his monstrous appearance. But unlike Tom who hide his face from those around him, this monster showed his face with pride. The man-lizard had been known throughout the world by many names in his life. Jafar, Frollo and Shan-Yu were just a few of the many aliases he had gone by in his never-ending lifetime, for the monster was immortal, and each of his multiple identities were feared throughout history.

"Everyone, this is—" the ruler of the Wild Wood attempted to introduce

"Toffee" the reptilian creature cut her off in a stoic tone "It's a pleasure to meet you all"

"Toffee?" Eclipsa repeated questioningly "Is that what your calling yourself these days? I always liked Shere Kahn personally"

"I'm sorry, but who is this guy?" Robbie asked bluntly "I've never seen a monster act like a man before"

"That's because I'm more of a man that you'll ever be" Toffee sardonically responded

Robbie when to draw his sword, but with one quick swipe of his tail, Toffee managed to knock the hunter flat on his back. Before Robbie could get back to his feet, the man-lizard drew a sword from his belt and pointed the tip of it against the boy's throat. The others stood by and watched to see if this stranger would cut down the hunter. But rather then slit his throat, he put away his sword and stepped back to allow Robbie to stand, clearly proving his point. The others were impressed by the reptilian stranger's skill, but still they wondered as to why he would alley himself with Eclipsa in the first place.

"I was hoping that our last guest would be here by now, but we can't put this off any longer" the exiled queen told the others

"Your referring to the pirate?" Toffee inquired "I sincerely doubt he'd be interested in this little alliance"

"Assuming he's still alive" Pacifica furthered "last I heard his ship was sunk off the eastern coast by the Mewman navy a few months ago. The whole crew went down along with it"

"That is unfortunate. He would've been a great help to our cause" Eclipsa mused "But I'm certain that even without his help we can win"

"Yeah, about that" Wendy spoke up "you still haven't told us your masterplan yet. That is, if you even have one"

The other members of the sorceress's cabal let out their voices to add on to their own concerns that they still had yet to hear and actual plan of action against their enemies. Not far from where this was taking place, Bill had been observing the whole situation unfold from a nearby tree, waiting for this very moment.

"Oh boy, here is comes!" he laughed to himself "I can't wait to see the blood fly!"

Eclipsa steadied herself, knowing full well that if she said something that the band of rouges didn't like, they would tear her limb from limb. Despite as being as powerful as she is, the lady of the Wild Wood doubted she could take them all on if they rushed her all at once. With a calming breath, she gathered her thoughts and spoke up.

"I've been amassing a small army for months now" she began in a steady yet firm voice "it's not big enough for an open war mind you, but's it's enough to launch a well-coordinated attack on the capital, and tomorrow night is the Royal Gala, where the Butterfly's and their followers will all be one place"

"But how do we get in?" Pacifica questioned "they'll have the whole castle well-guarded. Trust me, I've tried to pull off a few jobs during the Gala with minimal success"

"Which is why we'll have some help on the inside" the witch explained "Our aid will get most of our troops through while the main force sneaks in through another route. Moon may have had most of my secret passages into the castle, but there are still a few paths she doesn't know about"

"So, when we break in we can kill them all" Robbie concluded "I hope you got enough money to get me to kill a queen, Eclipsa"

"That goes double for me" the Red Queened added

"I could care less about the he Royal Family, I just want the Huntsman in the red hood dead" Wendy spoke up

"And I want what is mine returned to me" Tom said

"So, I take it your all in then?" Eclipsa surmised

"That depends" came a surprise voice "are any of you willing to accept the consequences if this all goes sideways?"

Everyone turned around to see the final member of their company standing before them. it was young Hispanic man wearing a large red three-pointed hat atop his head with a black feather in it and a long red coat with a white shirt underneath it. He had on a pair of sailor boots that had clearly seen better days and had on a pair of brown pants with a belt with a silver Jolly Roger buckle holding them up. A long scare across his left cheek on the young man's hardened face showed that he had seen combat at sea. While he had his left hand on the hilt of his sheathed cutlass, he kept his right hand in the pocket of his coat. This was captain Marco Diaz: one of the most feared pirate that ever sailed upon the seas.

"Marco…" Pacifica almost gasped in amazement "Your…your alive? but how?"

"I'm a hard man to kill" Marco stonily replied, "and the Mewmans are about to find that out the hard way"

"I take it then that you're with us?" Eclipsa gathered

"Not until you've answered my question" the pirate informed her "I mean, you all know what will happen if this little plan fails, right? Because there won't be any way out of this other than death"

Eclipsa knew what the young captain meant by that. While he was still a child, Marco's parents were stanch supports of the exiled queen and were sentenced to life behind bars on a prison island far from Mewni while their son was sent to be a cabin boy on a merchant ship before becoming a pirate. Marco didn't have a lot of love for the sorceress, blaming her for his parent's fate, but he held more hatred from the royal family—more than enough to make him consider joining forces with Eclipsa.

"It's a chance we have to take, Marco" the witch said, "For too long we've been under the heel of Moon and her minions. We've been beaten down and forced to live like animals in this forest. I've got the army, but I need the generals to lead them—I need all of you! If they wish to deem us the Wicked Ones, then I say we show them how wicked we can be!"

The other Wicked Ones let out a cheer in agreement—with the exceptions of Toffee and Marco, who only nodded as a way of signing on. The witch glance up to Bill, oh nearly rolled his single eye at the whole ordeal, obviously upset that he didn't get to see her death. Eclipsa had done it, she had her alliance, and with it, she would depose the false ruler of Mewni—even if she had to burn it down to do so! after everyone had calmed down a bit, Eclipsa pulled Marco aside in order to speak with him in private.

"For what it's worth, thank you for joining us" she thanked "it'll be good to have you, Captain Diaz"

"Actuality, I've going by a different name these days" marco corrected as he pulled his hand out of his pocket

Eclipsa was surprised to see what the boy removed from his pocket. Instead of his hand, a silver hook sat in its place.

"Call me...Hook"


End file.
